Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping

Collaboration in Extension: Sharing Science, Building Communities


September 25, 2025

Last week, I was the invited speaker for a Lunch & Learn event, hosted in collaboration with Love Your Block by the City of Port St. Lucie, where I shared the Florida-Friendly Landscaping principles to help homeowners create sustainable, ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, , Clubs & Volunteers, Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Home Management, Horticulture, Lawn, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, Recreation, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Conservation, Extension, Florida Friendly Landscape, St. Lucie County, UF/IFAS Extension St. Lucie County
closeup of monarch butterfly on leaves

Monarchs and Milkweed: An Important Update


September 25, 2025

Ahhhh, monarch butterflies…  Their life cycle and fascinating migration patterns, as well as their striking beauty make them intriguing and beloved to gardeners and scientists alike.  The following blog post covers some of the latest ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes,
Tags: Anne Yasalonis, Ayasalonis, Butterflies, Milkweed, Monarch, Native Milkweed, Native Plants, Polkgardening, Polkmg, Tropical Milkweed
Blazing Star

Bee Attractors: for the Best Pollinators!


September 24, 2025

Central Florida wildflowers attract many pollinators, and the best are honeybees and native bees. So what plants should we add to our garden to bring bees into our backyard habitat? Here are a few things to consider.   Bee Attractors ... READ MORE

Category: 4-H & Youth, Agriculture, Clubs & Volunteers, Curriculum, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Lawn, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Wildlife

Pruning Tropical and Sub-tropical Fruit Trees


September 17, 2025

The art and science of pruning takes time and thought. Before making your first cut, study the tree’s potential size and natural shape, and imagine how it might appear in three to four years. Try to maintain that shape in your mind as you ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, , Crops, Farm Management, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension

Palms: Overview & Resources


September 16, 2025

Palms Overview 1. Select the right palm for the right place. Soil pH matters for certain palms. Native palms are generally better adapted to Florida and provide other benefits, especially for wildlife. 2. Determine if the palm has a crownshaft ... READ MORE

Category: Disaster Preparation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Forests, Home Landscapes, Home Management, Horticulture, Lawn, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, Turf, UF/IFAS Extension, Water, Wildlife
Tags: Agent, Central Florida Gardening, Cflandscapes, Class, Crownshaft, Deficient, Diagnostics, Fertilizer, FFL, Florida, Florida Friendly, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Hwooten, Landscape, Landscapes, Lawn, Lethal Bronzing, Native Palm, Palm, Palms, Prune, Pruning, Pruning Palms, Resorts, Tree
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis is a genus of flowering plants.

UF/IFAS warns of emerging pest threatening South Florida crops: Two-spot cotton leafhopper detected


September 15, 2025

The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is alerting growers to a new pest of concern making its mark in South Florida farms and nurseries: the invasive two-spot cotton leafhopper. Measuring ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Conservation, Crops, Farm Management, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Acarology, Alexandra Revynthi, Cotton, Entomology And Nematology, FDACS, Florida Department Of Agriculture And Consumer Services Division Of Plant Industry, Flowers, Hibiscus, Hibiscus Flowers, Home Gardens, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, News, Okra, Ornamental Hibiscus, Peanut, Plant Pathology, Potato, Soybean, Sunflower, Tropical Hibiscus, Tropical Research And Education Center, Two-spot Cotton Leafhopper, UF-IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension Miami-Dade County, University Of Florida
Multiple rows of vegetables growing in a field.

Cómo una agente de Extensión de UF/IFAS está trabajando junto a los residentes para hacer del condado de St. Lucie un lugar más verde


September 15, 2025

Creado por Lourdes Mederos, gerente de relaciones públicas en español para el Departamento de Comunicaciones de UF/IFAS. Desde los jardines domésticos hasta los esfuerzos de conservación a nivel de condado, Sara Salgado MacDonald colabora ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Acacia, Acacia Auriculiformis, Avispa, Capacitar, Control Biologico, Ecuador, Español, Extensión De UF/IFAS, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Horticultura, Horticultura Urbana, Huertos De Hortalizas, Huertos Familiares, Insectos, Master Gardener, Organización Internacional Para El Control Biológico, Premio Global Al Desarrollo Profesional Temprano, Premio Robert O'Neil A La Estudiante De Doctorado Destacada En Control Biológico, Sara Salgado MacDonald, Spanish, UF-IFAS, UF/IFAS Condado De Saint Lucie
A picture after fieldwork, moving Brazilian pepper debris alongside Beth Curry

How one UF/IFAS Extension agent is planting the seeds for a greener St. Lucie County – together with residents


September 15, 2025

From backyard gardens to countywide conservation, Sara Salgado MacDonald is helping St. Lucie County residents grow greener, healthier landscapes. As an urban horticulture Extension agent with the University of Florida Institute of Food ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Community Volunteers, Conservation, Events, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Lawn, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS
Tags: Biological Control, Entomology And Nematology, Environmental Horticulture, Florida Vegetable Gardening, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Gardening, Herb Gardening, Horticultural Sciences, Horticulture, IFAS, Insects, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Invasive, Master Gardener Volunteer Program, News, Pollinators, Robert O’Neil Award For Outstanding Ph.D. Student In Biological Control 2023, Sara Salgado MacDonald, UF-IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension St. Lucie County, University Of Florida, Urban Horticulture, Vegetable Gardening

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